Shanahan's rally foiled by Parkland in five sets

ROYERSFORD -- If the championship match of this year’s PIAA Class AAA volleyball tournament comes anywhere close to matching the level of talent, the level of play and the intensity of Saturday’s quarterfinal match between Parkland and Bishop Shanahan, then the fans at Central York High will be in for a real treat next weekend.

Saturday afternoon’s showdown at Spring-Ford High featured programs that produced two of the last three state champions -- Shanahan in 2009 and Parkland in 2011 -- and teams that had a combined record this season of 41-1 (Parkland, 22-0; Shanahan, 19-1).

As expected, it was a battle of heavyweights that went down to the wire -- a brutal five-set match between two of the premier teams in the Mid-Atlantic region. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Trojans pulled out a 3-2 win -- 25-18, 25-21, 20-25, 15-25, 15-11.

The first set was close for its initial half and then Parkland moved out to a 19-14 lead. The Eagles, who are ranked third in the state in the most recent PVCA poll, closed to within one at 19-18 but the Trojans responded with Taylor Krause’s game-ending five-point service run that featured a pair of kills by Alicia Weigel.

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The second set stayed close all the way -- fueled by key points on big hits from Shanahan’s power hitters Nicole Lott and Katie Ibarguen and Parkland’s big guns Kelly Robertson and Weigel.

A kill by Lott brought the game into a 21-21 deadlock but the Trojans regained the lead and took the serve on a kill by Veronica Koval. Parkland then served out to log a hard-fought four-point victory.

Things were not looking good for Shanahan’s girls -- down 2-0 to the top-ranked team in the state. Their vital signs were getting close to the danger zone.

Midway through the third set, Parkland scored four straight points to move ahead 12-10. It seemed as if it might be time to text Monsignor Murphy and tell him to get ready to administer “Last Rites” to the Eagles.

Instead, the Eagles sprang to life.

After a Trojans’ block went out of bounds, Shanahan’s Hayley Kleespies took over the serve. Kleespies sandwiched a pair of aces around a blocking error by Parkland. Lott sandwiched a pair of kills around a point on a block and, just that quickly, the Eagles were chomping on a 16-12 advantage.

Shanahan’s serve and serve-receive were working well and the net belonged to Lott and Ibarguen. The Trojans had a slight surge at the end but the Eagles stayed in control to win by five points.

“In the first two sets, I feel we just didn’t have the intensity we needed,” said Lott. “Then, we realized we had to pick it up and play with passion -- and we did that.”

In the fourth set, the score was knotted five times en route to an 11-11 tie. With her team ahead 13-12, a kill by Lott gave the Eagles a point and the serve.

Kleespies served four straight points -- the first two on aces, the third on a block by Lauren Godshalk and Lott and the fourth on a block by Ciaran Ashman and Godshalk. The Trojans trailed by six and never got closer than five for the remainder of the game.

“After the second set, I told them not to give up hope,” said Shanahan coach Greg Ashman. “We started to build momentum at the end of the second set.”

For two amazingly talented teams, the season had come down to this - a winner-take-all, 15-point fifth set. Getting a quick start in a short set is crucial and it was Parkland that got out of the blocks faster. The Trojans led 4-1 and then the Eagles came back to even the slate at 4-4. The next two points went to Parkland on a kill by Robertson and a called lift by Shanahan.

The Trojans’ Kristen Krause followed with a pair of aces -- the second of which hit on her side of the net, spun over the top and dropped down immediately on the Eagles’ side of the court.

With a four-point lead and more than halfway home at 8-4, Parkland only let its lead drop below three once for the duration of the set. The final play of the match appeared to be a kill by Robertson but was actually a net violation called against the Eagles.

“That fifth set was definitely a little nerve-wracking,” said Robertson, who will play for Penn State University next year. “This was a really exciting match. Blocking was a big difference. We knew we had to keep the ball on their side of the court.”

Parkland will face Upper Merion in Tuesday’s semifinal match at Council Rock South. In the other semifinal, Hempfield, the only team other than Shanahan or Parkland to win the state title in the last four years, will play North Allegheny.

“We’ve been undefeated for the last two years and have won 67 matches in a row,” said Parkland coach Mike Krause. “This was the first time we’ve gone five games in the last three seasons. It’s the most character we’ve had to show.”

It was also a real test of character for Shanahan.

“We’re very similar teams so we knew it was going to be a really hard match,” said Lott. “I’m so proud of every single one of our girls. We’re really a big family. Win or lose, we love each other.”